October 17, 2008

What's Up With All the Guest Posts?

Warning: Some Internal Navel Gazing Ahead

Over the last three months, regular visitors to the site may have noticed a good number of posts to the blog that weren't from me. In fact, starting on July 8th, of the 175 new stories posted to the site, 34 have been from guest posters, representing approximately one of every five new entries, with me covering the other eighty percent. These 34 items have been submitted by a number of diverse writers, each of whom brings their own background and expertise to the table.

So what's going on?

Given the proximity of the first guest post, from Cyndy Aleo-Carreira, on July 8th, to Matthew and Sarah being born, on June 20th, some have thought the guest posts were the equivalent of bringing new parents food, to help during the busy times. Others have hypothesized that this is the first step in a plan for world domination, as I try to catapult the site into the realm of GigaOM, ReadWriteWeb or other big-name brand sites.

But the truth is somewhere in between.

The visibility of louisgray.com, thanks to consistent posting and the increased activity on some of the social sites where I participate, grew more than I expected in the first half of this year. I recognize that the subscriber base here is a tad higher than that for other great writers I respect, and I thought it would be a win-win to bring these voices to a new audience, while also making the site a more trusted, consistently updated source for news and commentary.

So in July, after trading e-mails with Cyndy, I asked her, and later, a few others, to contribute, as they wanted. I set no criteria on their subject matter, frequency or length, and I've been very lucky to see many of them really step up and provide their very best work here, outdoing my efforts a number of times. The result, I believe, is a more diverse set of opinions, increased engagement, and an increased profile for those participating. I have also made the choice to stop calling my partners in crime "guests". They have the full keys and are active writers in their own right.

In this quota-free environment, you can see some have grasped the opportunity and posted frequently. Others saw it as a one-off and went back to their own sites. But all still have the open door policy. In fact, it's my hope they continue to feel comfortable here. And, if you think you have something to contribute, and would be interested in adding your voice to the mix, let me know. Just remember this is all for fun and excitement around tech, so there are no ads, and therefore, no revenue. So send me an e-mail to louisgray@mac.com if you're up for it.

I've taken the time to highlight the guest posts below in case you missed any. I'm sure you'll find a topic you like. And, don't worry, I'll still keep posting here. But maybe by the next update, I'll be pushing out less than 80 percent of all new stories.